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The app, Figure 1, allows doctors to post photos of anonymous patients and their conditions to share with others. The app also allows doctors to instantly request specialists to comment on specific photos. The app was created by a doctor in Canada.

But the app is available to anyone, and there is a growing concern that doctors aren’t asking their patients for permission to photograph them before doing so and posting the photos to the app. Professor Nicolas Terry commented on the app for a story on Buzzfeed.com that was posted April 17. (Caution: the online story contains graphic images.)

“I’m not sure why this is open to the public,” Professor Terry said in the story. “Because I think that does pose the question: Is this a professional site, or is this thinly disguised medical porn?”

Professor Terry is the Hall Render Professor of Law and executive director of the Hall Center for Law and Health. His research interests lie primarily at the intersection of medicine, law, and information technology. His recent scholarship has dealt with health privacy, social media and health, big data, and health care fragmentation.